Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Developer

Publisher

Engine

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, Mac

Release date

August 23, 2016Linux: November 3, 2016Mac: December 12, 2017

Genres

Stealth, Action RPG, FPS

Media

DVD, Blu-ray, digital download

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a cyberpunk-themed action RPG game in the Deus Ex series. It was developed by Eidos Montréal and published by Square Enix. It is a sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which takes place before the events of Deus Ex. Mankind Divided was released for Windows, Playstation 4 and Xbox One on 23 August 2016. Feral Interactive brought the game to macOS and Linux. The Linux version arrived on 3 November 2016,[1] with the macOS version following on 12 December 2017.[2]

Adam Jensen returns as the protagonist for this installment of the series. He obtains several new augmentations in Mankind Divided. Like its predecessors, the game places emphasis on player choice and freedom.

Contents

Mankind Divided is set in 2029, two years after the events of Human Revolution, which culminated in the Aug Incident when Hugh Darrow hijacked the biochip signal. As a result of Darrow's signal broadcast, augmented people across the world were forced to violently attack those around them until the signal was shut down by Adam Jensen. In the aftermath of the Aug Incident, the public is outraged and begins aggressively opposing mechanical augmentation. This results in a divided world, where mechanically augmented humans are forcibly separated from non-augmented ones.

By 2029, Jensen now works for the Interpol-funded Task Force 29 (TF29), an international unit that deals with augmented terrorists that have sprung up in response to this backlash. However, Jensen's allegiance is split between Task Force 29 and the Juggernaut Collective, a hacker group devoted to opposing the Illuminati. Jensen is determined to bring down the Illuminati and collaborates with the Juggernaut Collective to achieve this goal. The Juggernaut Collective is interested in deploying Jensen to investigate the Illuminati's influence in the Central European Division of TF29, a unit based in Prague and led by branch director Jim Miller.

Meanwhile, the Illuminati have been working on an initiative called the Human Restoration Act, a proposed United Nations resolution. If enacted, the Human Restoration Act would require people with mechanical augmentations to have a control chip inserted in them or else be placed in designated facilities specifically built for augmented people.

Jensen's work for Task Force 29 brings him to an abandoned, partially-built hotel in Dubai. Here, his TF29 team is tasked with intercepting an illegal arms deal involving mechanical augmentations. During this mission, TF29 and the gangs involved in the arms deal are ambushed by an unknown group of Shadow Operatives wearing gold masks.

The Illuminati Council of Five meets to discuss their next move toward supporting passage of the Human Restoration Act. The group agrees to send Stanton Dowd and Volkard Rand to New York to garner support. Lucius DeBeers, Morgan Everett, and Bob Page then speak in private. Acknowledging that Dowd and Rand probably won't succeed on their own, the Illuminati leader DeBeers instructs Page to deploy sleeper agents embedding within the Augmented Rights Coalition (ARC), as part of their alternate strategy involving the creation of terrorist incidents to be blame on ARC.

In Prague, Adam Jensen arrives at the Růžička Station to meet with Alex Vega, his Juggernaut Collective contact. They discuss the events in Dubai, and suspect that there was an ulterior motive for Jensen's unit being sent on the mission. Vega wants Jensen to install a "whisper chip" in the TF29 communications system. Suddenly, bombs go off, destroying a large part of the station. The next day, Jensen wakes up finding that his augmentations are malfunctioning. Upon seeing augmentations specialist Václav Koller, Jensen discovers that he has experimental augmentations installed in him that he previously had no knowledge of.

Jensen checks in at the TF29 headquarters and secretly installs the whisper chip as instructed by Vega. With Jensen back at work, Miller first assigns Jensen to retrieve evidence from Růžička Station. After Jensen retrieves the evidence, Miller then assigns Jensen to visit Golem City to bring in ARC leader Talos Rucker. Miller tells Jensen that he is sending him to Golem City because ARC appears to be linked to the terrorist bombing of Růžička Station. Jensen arrives in Golem City, where he meets ARC member Viktor Marchenko. He then makes his way to Rucker's office, but Rucker suddenly dies of poisoning before Jensen can bring him in. Evidence collected by Rucker mention a substance called the "Orchid."

Back in Prague, Miller is irate at the failure of the mission, but has to head off to deal with state police. Back at headquarters, Jensen receives a new lead from TF29 CSI technician Daniel Fletcher, who has been studying the evidence Jensen retrieved from the station. Following the lead, Jensen discovers that the bombs that detonated at the station were made by Allison Staněk, daughter of local watchmaker Nomad Staněk.

Taking advantage of Miller's absence, Jensen enters Miller's Neural SubNet machine to examine evidence of Miller's potential involvement with the Illuminati. Looking through the recorded conversations, Jensen learns that Miller was being ordered by his boss, Joseph Manderley, the overall TF29 director, to put blame on ARC for the Dubai ambush and the Růžička Station bombing, as well a break-in incident that has not yet occurred. The recording also shows that Manderley's actions are being controlled by another man, who had instructed Manderley to order the assassination of Talos Rucker using the Orchid, in order to maintain the cover of an agent embedded in ARC. This man, Manderley's superior, also noted that their next step is to deal with Nathaniel Brown.

Jensen then meets with Janus, the enigmatic Juggernaut Collective leader, via a teleconference. Janus tells Jensen that the person whom Manderley was speaking to in the recording was Bob Page, owner of VersaLife. Janus suggests that Jensen infiltrate the VersaLife vault in the Palisade Property Bank to learn more about the Orchid. The conversation is abruptly ended, however, when the communication channel is compromised and sentry drones are closing in on the location.

Shortly afterwards, Jensen receives a call from Nomad Staněk that his daughter Allison Staněk, the bomb-maker, is in danger at the hands of cultists of Church of the MachineGod. However, before he can reach the Church, Jensen learns from Vega that VersaLife is removing their vault from the bank and that Jensen must break into the bank before this happens. Jensen must choose between confronting the bomb-maker and infiltrating the bank.

If Jensen chooses to confront the bomb-maker, Jensen learns from Allison that Marchenko has moved his base to a location in the Swiss alps called G.A.R.M. He may dissuade Allison Staněk, who turns out to be the leader of the church, from joining a ritual called "ascension" that results in mass-suicide of its participants.

Alternatively, if he Jensen chooses to go after the VersaLife corporate vault, he infiltrates the bank and places a device in the vault allowing Janus to extract data on the Orchid. During the data extraction, Jensen hears an audio file indicating that Megan Reed has been working on the Orchid, and that the Orchid in its current state is a dangerous substance. The recording also indicates that Megan's assistant had a sent a sample of the Orchid to G.A.R.M., which Page notes in the audio recording to be a recent acquisition of his. Janus tells Jensen that G.A.R.M. was a Belltower-owned facility that was, for some reason, not listed on their balance sheet when they went bankrupt.

Jensen then heads out to G.A.R.M., via the VTOL of TF29 pilot Elias Chikane. However, when Jensen arrives, he is inexplicably ambushed by Marchenko and the gold-masked Shadow Operatives. Marchenko injects Jensen with the Orchid. While semi-conscious after being injected the orchid, Jensen overhears Marchenko talking about using the Dvali crime organization to smuggle a shipment. Marchenko leaves Jensen to die. Fortunately, Jensen is immune to the lethal effects of the Orchid due to his unique DNA that lacks a gene targeted by the Orchid. Jensen awakens and escapes the facility.

After returning to Prague, which is now under martial law due to unrest resulting from Rucker's assassination, Jensen investigates the Dvali's connection with Marchenko. Arriving at the Dvali Theatre, Jensen discovers that the Dvali have agreed to smuggle a shipment to London. Upon learning this information, TF29 makes preparations for London.

Before leaving for London, Jensen meets with Alex Vega in his apartment. Vega tells Jensen that Nathaniel Brown, whom Page mentioned in the NSN recording that Jensen uncovered, is working to oppose the passage of Human Restoration Act. The reason is that if the Act passes, Brown's corporation, the Santeau Group, which is in the business of making safe-havens for augmented people, will be unable to sustain the inflow of the augmented into their safe-haven cities such as Rabi'ah, which would result in enormous financial loss. Vega tells Jensen that the Illuminati's plan is to stop Brown.

Two days later, the Task Force arrives at London's Apex Centre, where Brown is hosting UN delegates to persuade them to vote against the Human Restoration Act. Marchenko and the Shadow Operatives are there in an attempt to assassinate Brown and the delegates using the Orchid. During this mission, Jensen defeats Marchenko and attempts to prevent Brown and the delegates from being assassinated.

A week later, Jensen and Alex Vega reflect on the outcome of the events in London. If Jensen was able to save Brown and the delegates, the Human Restoration Act fails to pass. Otherwise, the Act passes. Jensen wants to help the Juggernaut Collective investigate Manderley and Page. However, Jensen also makes clear that he wants to meet Janus, the enigmatic Juggernaut Collective leader, face-to-face.

In the mid-credits scene of Mankind Divided, the Illuminati Council holds another meeting. Volkard Rand is angry that he wasn't informed of the actions that others, presumably referring to Bob Page, had put into play. After the meeting is adjourned, it is revealed that the TF29 resident psychologist Delara Auzenne was using the NSN avatar of council member Elizabeth DuClare. Auzenne reports to Lucius DeBeers that Jensen is very close to contacting Janus, and that Jensen's memories are consistent with this objective. The conversation reveals that Jensen is being used by the Illuminati to uncover Janus.

Save files from Deus Ex: Human Revolution do not carry over into Mankind Divided, so individual players' choices in Human Revolution are not be reflected in Mankind Divided. Instead, certain outcomes in the story all canonically follow from different possible paths in Human Revolution. For example, regardless of which signal the player chose to broadcast at the end of Human Revolution, Panchaea collapses in every possible ending.

The developers have stated that regardless of which signal is broadcast at the end of Human Revolution, the truth is obscured by rumors and disinformation. Disinformation about what happened surrounding the Aug Incident leads to the truth being intentionally hidden. This resolution of the Human Revolution storyline allowed the developers to use different aspects of each ending to form the backdrop of Mankind Divided.

The game features FPS, RPG, and stealth gameplay elements. This gives players a wide variety of options about how they approach each mission. There are several ways to complete each objective, with different player choices leading to different outcomes. It is possible to play through the entire game without being detected or killing anyone, including during boss fights.

Jensen hiding from an augmented enemy.

The hacking ability from Human Revolution is present in Mankind Divided, along with a new ability to hack objects remotely. The "conversation battle" mechanic also makes a reappearance.

The new combat system was designed to give players more choices. More ways to solve the same issue, whether through the use of augmentations, combat or possibly even dialogue. In the previous game, the combat system was not on par with the complexity of stealth. In Mankind Divided, players can use more vertical space, glide between cover and make use of new non-lethal weapons. The cover system has been improved. Players can still crouch and move around cover, but now they can also click on an empty space near new cover and dash for it. If this doesn't feel safe, then players can go invisible using the new Energy System.

The enemies as well have new combat opportunities not seen in previous games in the franchise. They will use cloaking and shielding and can dash from one place to another, making combat more fast paced which in turn will require more planning and forethought from the player before leaping into battle, unless of course they use something like Titan Shield, in which case, go on ahead. Just be sure to watch the energy level!

As well as featuring certain augmentations from Human Revolution, several new ones are introduced. These include a detachable nano-ceramic blade, a protective nanoshield, and a fist-mounted electro-shock system akin to modern-day Tasers, utilizing prongs that pop up on his hand from between the knuckles, injecting the enemy with electricity. This augmentation allows Jensen to tag and take out enemies silently and replaces the stun gun from the previous game. Jensen also has a directed energy cannon as part of his arm and hand augments. The energy is charged and released causing a strong knockback effect. Some enemies in Mankind Divided possess augmentations similar to the ones used by Jensen, making them more deadly.

The Energy system existed in the previous game Human Revolution, but players were having to spend time waiting for a recharge or consuming items that would also do this. Energy is now on a long bar that gradually refills over time. Some augmentations have an activation cost that lowers the maximum amount of energy a player can have. Degradation of the maximum amount of energy can be reset by using a Biocell. The Biocell also has other uses such as energizing devices, and are in limited supply, so players must choose how best to use them.

There is a new dash system call Icarus Dash. This can be used defensively during an attack on multiple targets, knocking them down. It can also be used to quickly move from cover to cover and even cover horizontal gaps to reach areas not otherwise available to players, similar to a teleport. This could be useful for crossing across ceiling areas or to make quick leaps into moving vehicles.

The game allows for greater flexibility in gunplay, allowing players to customize the sights and ammunition type of their weaponry. A new weapon, the Battle Rifle, has also been introduced, though little is known about it at present. Players can change out or add modification and change targeting patterns on weapons in real-time. Ammo includes armor piercing rounds and EMP ammo for taking out electronics.

Several weapons can now be charged for a secondary effect. Jensen's Nanoblade launcher, a new augmentation, will launch the blade at a target, doing damage but if it is charged first, it will glow red and will explode on impact, increasing the amount of damage done. The P.E.P.S. non lethal weapon - originally introduced in Human Revolution and now implemented as an augmentation, also has a secondary effect. The primary effect will knock enemies over. Charging it before using has the effect of knocking enemies out.

Everything matters, at least when it comes to the story decisions made by the player. Eidos Montréal, the developers of Mankind Divided, wanted to be sure that choices and consequences pay off in many levels throughout the game. During conversations with both enemies and allies, players will often be given multiple choices that will allow them to approach the situation in different ways. They can try the direct no-give approach, or maybe try a little reasoning, or patronize them and see where that leads. Maybe a confrontation can be avoided completely, but if so, what is the long term cost and who will it affect? There is no "morality system" per se, and players can choose to kill everyone if that is how they want to play the game.

Because of player choice, the game's final mission may not play out the same way it did for someone else, adding to the game's replayability. There are also side stories and exploration possibilities that are completely optional but players who take the time to complete them, will meet new characters and get a better understanding of the story as a whole. They allow the player to see even deeper into the life and backstory of Adam Jensen as well as the lives of the people around him on the streets.

Completing the game unlocks New Game+ (new game plus), which allows the player to start a new game while keeping all inventory items, credits, augmentations, and Praxis points at the end of a previous playthrough. Items stored in the three storage units of Jensen's apartment do not carry over.

The save state serving as the basis for New Game+ can be overridden each time a standard new game is completed. However, a completed New Game+ cannot serve as the save state for another New Game+.

Breach is a game mode included in Mankind Divided, and was also released as a free standalone title (Deus Ex: Breach) on January 24, 2017.

Here, players are put in an environment that resembles a test chamber, and given the goal of locating several servers dotted around each level and activating them, then returning to their spawn point before the timer runs out. Some servers are hidden behind fake walls and secret doors, while others hang above on what initially appears to be inaccessible platforms. On average, Breach challenges can be completed in five minutes or less. Obstructing both infiltration and escape are a host of sentinels, drones, turrets, and later, the more powerful Prime guards. These opponents do not present much challenge in of themselves, but can still delay a player.

Strings of kills and other feats will boost a score multiplier, as will unlocking all the servers. A player's score is converted into a form of currency that can be used to buy booster packs of five cards. Each card can unlock a weapon, or upgrades, skills, health, ammo, and so on. More expensive packs provide rarer items. These packs can also be purchased through real-world currency.[3]

A single-mission DLC originally available as a pre-order bonus or through purchase of the Day One, Collector's, or Digital Deluxe editions of Mankind Divided. Desperate Measures was later released as a free download.

"Taking place in Prague, the ‘Desperate Measures’ extra in-game mission has you playing as Adam Jensen, returning to the epicenter of the Růžička train station explosion that recently rattled the city to its very core. With tampered security footage hampering the investigation behind the attack, you must rely on both your augmentations, and skills as a covert operative, in order to unveil the true culprit responsible for the bombing."

The first story DLC, released a month later after the game's initial release.

"In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - System Rift, you will reunite with Frank Pritchard, Adam's friend and former colleague at Sarif Industries, and assist him in hunting down information on the mysterious Santeau Group. Desperate to get more information, Pritchard targets one of the most secure data banks ever created - the Palisade Blade. In agreeing to help, Adam may also be able to uncover hints as to who the Illuminati really are."

"Adam Jensen is back in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – A Criminal Past, along with both an old acquaintance in Delara Auzenne, and new characters. The second Story DLC will provide players with more insight into the lore of the Deus Ex Universe, allowing them to experience Adam Jensen’s first mission for TF29, set some time before the events of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – A Criminal Past, Jensen is transferred deep into a hostile, high-security prison for augmented felons. His mission: track down and retrieve sensitive information from a fellow undercover agent who has gone dark. Success will help the fight against terror around the world, but Jensen will need to confront a darker side to his role before the day is done."

Items made available by DLCs are accessed using the "storage" tab on the left side of the inventory screen interface.

DLC weapons can be used across any number of playthroughs. Each time you start a new game, a new copy of the weapon will be available for retrieval from the storage tab.

DLC consumables (Praxis kits, weapon parts, credits, ammo and grenades) are one-time-use items. Once a DLC consumable is retrieved from the storage tab, it is permanently redeemed and will not be available in a subsequent playthrough, nor will it be available if an earlier save is loaded.

Outfit skins for Jensen's armor and trench coat are accessed by the "outfit" menu that appears when the game is paused.

An official Deus Ex Universe app was released to provide information about the games and the latest Mankind Divided news. It was available to download from the App Store and Google Play. Once Mankind Divided was released, it served as a companion app for the game.[5] It currently features a scanner which can be used to scan triangle-shaped codes found in various promotional videos and posters. These codes unlocked exclusive content related to the game and its development. The app was discontinued in 2018. The content unlocked by the app are still available, however.

Adding to the Augmentation theme of Mankind Divided, Square Enix and Eidos Montreal placed marketing, disguised as propaganda posters around New York City in August of 2015 - stating "Keep Our Streets Human!" These posters included a triangular QR code, and a URL of AugAware.org. The URL led to the official Deus Ex Website.

In mid April 2016, the team chose to promote the game even further by publishing the Aug Aware website. This unique site features several articles 'written' by those who strongly opposed the use of augmentation, stating that humans should be pure (or whole) and retain the physical limbs they were born with with mention of 'purists and the augmented being at war'. The site itself appeared to be under some type of cybernetic 'attack' by the Augmented Rights Coalition, possibly an attempt to stave readers from gaining insight and joining the side of the pure. The website has a countdown timer at the top, counting down to May 26th 2016 at 6am PDT.

Two videos also surfaced, one that looks like security camera footage depicting a man in a small market with a cybernetic arm that he suddenly loses control of, knocking over 20K worth of wine bottles. The other is of a man in an alley, beating another man with his own augmented leg. The description of the second video reads as follows:

The fear over the augmented community has boiled over into the streets, as evidenced by this video footage which shows an argument turning into a brutal fight. Unlike the Panchaea Aug Incident, the humans took this round, as a beast of a man ripped off an Aug’s leg and used it to beat him. “There is reason to be concerned,” says AugAware.org, the organization responsible for releasing the footage. The AugAware.org website seems to indicate that their anti-Aug awareness campaign is just beginning – check the site on May 26th to see what’s next.